Rebirth
by JakkinStewart
Summary: Ryo and Mia take a trip to a museum where they find some old armor and a curator who is much more than he seems to be.


Rebirth

"Hey Ryo, look at this!"

"What is it Mia?" Ryo asked, walking over to her side.

Mia indicated a suit of armor displayed neatly behind a glass case. They had been planning this trip to a museum of Japanese history for weeks. Originally Kento and the others were supposed to come as well, but as they put it, "Something came up."

"Huh, kinda looks like mine. Why is it chained to the case like that though? There's no plaque or anything for this exhibit." Ryo said.

For a museum, there were surprisingly few visitors that day. Part of this could be the location, high in the mountains. It was so desolate this particular day that only Mia and Ryo were there. The curator had been following close behind them, figuring that today he probably wouldn't get any more customers. Besides, if they had any questions he was the only one who could answer them.

"Well, you see, this isn't exactly an ordinary suit of armor. I've had to chain it up so the thing doesn't get out. Five years ago some men tried to steal it. They were in suits of armor and bullied me to try and get it. I'll let you two in on a little secret though, that armor couldn't be touched by them. Before they could attack me that armor burst out of its case and saved me."

The curator was middle-aged, but he leaned on a white staff heavily for support. His hair was a silver color at shoulder length, his eyes a pale blue, but his body really showed no signs of age other than that. In fact, he was pretty muscular save for a scarred right leg.

"Actually, that's not too hard to believe. Wait, Ryo, wasn't it five years ago that the inferno armors were destroyed? Could the two events be related?" Mia said.

"Excuse me miss, but did you just say armors, as in plural?" the curator asked.

"Do you know about the legendary armors?" Ryo asked.

The curator nodded, then motioned his two guests to follow him. He led them down into the basement, a section normally off limits to others. Flicking on a light switch, the man gestured toward the right wall. There was a huge bookshelf filled with information on the ronin warriors and the inferno armor they once used.

"There is all the original information on your armors throughout history, including accounts by each owner throughout the ages. Studies made by shamans and sorcerers on the armors as well, and that one book labeled Inferno. Sadly I could only translate some of it, but hopefully you can change that. Please tell me what colors there were, who wore them, and how they were destroyed. I must write this down." the curator said enthusiastically.

Ryo began his story of the white inferno armor with Talpa. After telling him how it was first worn by Ryo himself and the initial effects it had, Ryo continued his tale through all of the armor's battles. Eventually he got to the part where Mukala and his Black inferno armor showed up, and how Ryo needed to battle against the evil armor. The curator wrote everything he heard down at a frantic pace, giving special attention to details involving the destruction of both armors.

"Fascinating. I've always had theories about the armors, but never did I have any sort of proof about them. Now some of my ideas could be correct, but most don't make sense."

The curator's rambling was interrupted by a loud crashing sound upstairs. In frustration the old man told Ryo to put on his armor of Wildfire as he took down a hammer from the opposite wall. It seemed like an ordinary old smith's hammer, but slightly larger than most.

"What, is it vandals?" Ryo asked without getting a reply.

Upstairs was a mess. Cases broken, books strewn about, but oddly nothing had apparently been stolen. Another shattering sound, this time more like pottery than glass. Ryo reached out an arm, placing his blade in front of the curator.

"You don't have armor like I do. Leave this to me and keep an eye on Mia. I have a bad feeling about this, and I'm an experienced warrior." Ryo said.

Ryo rounded a corner, following the last sound. Much to his amazement, the last three men he ever expected to or wanted to see in the world were surrounding the armor.

"Sekhmet! Cale! Dais! What are you three doing here?"

"Isn't it obvious? We're here for the armor." Cale replied.

"Now our question to you is, why are you here?" Dais said.

"Personally, I'm glad you're here Wildfire. It gives me a rematch with you. Snake Fang Strike!"

Ryo tried to defend, but it was three on one. Sekhmet was hitting harder than ever, Dais moved too fast to be effectively combated, and Cale used Darkness Strike to envelop Ryo in shadows.

"Oh man, I can't beat these guys. How did they get so strong?"

"Our new boss gave us more power, and that's all you need to know. See you in the next world boy." Sekhmet replied, raising his sword for the final blow.

"Shatterstrike!"

Suddenly Ryo saw the curator's hammer fly past him right into the armor of Venom. There was a bright flash as Sekhmet yelled in pain. When the dazzle effect of that flash was over, Ryo saw Sekhmet unconscious on the floor without his armor, Cale had huge holes in his armor of Corruption and two broken weapons, and Dais was nowhere to be seen. The curator stood behind Ryo with his staff in one hand and the hammer in the other, staring at the two obvious enemies.

"Three on one didn't seem fair, so I turned the tides of combat. Hope you don't mind." he said.

"How did you do that?" Mia asked, coming up beside the curator.

Cale, seeing this distraction, took his chance to gather up Sekhmet and escape. Ryo would have chased them, but he was too damaged. The curator sighed, slipped the hammer into his belt, and helped Mia take Ryo back down into the basement where he had a bed.

"Take it easy Wildfire. When the white inferno armor was destroyed it must have drained some of your power. That, or you're terribly out of practice. Give me your armor while you rest. It's pretty badly damaged and I can repair it." their host said calmly.

Ryo looked down at his armor and had to agree. There were cracks in the chest area, the pauldrons were broken off, and several dents from prior battles still remained. Not wanting to seem rude, he removed the armor and gave the suit to the curator.

"The blades too. I can make them better as well."

Ryo nodded, handing over the two blades. Smiling, the curator took the armor and swords of Wildfire into another room. Mia, from her better vantage point, got a brief glimpse of the forge before the door closed.

"Ryo, there's someone else in there. I'm not sure, but it didn't look human. Maybe it was just a mirage caused by the heat shimmer. Still, I'm worried about this guy."

"Hey, take it easy Mia. It's not like he has to tell us every last detail about his life. Besides, he did save me just a few minutes ago." Ryo replied lazily.

"Yeah, I guess you're right."

Mia turned to see Ryo already sound asleep on the bed. Meanwhile in the forge their curator friend was busy. Once the forge was heated up and the anvil set, he began working on repairs to Ryo's suit.

"Let's see how well you do. Come on kid, you're my assistant. That means you need to help out with the work, so get busy on those swords."

"Easy for you to say, you've got the magic your ancestors passed down to you. All I am is an assistant."

"Not so my young friend. You've got quite a knack for healing." the curator replied, starting his work.

Tink… tink… tink… Bang! Tink… tink… tink… Bang! The steady rhythm at which the curator's hammer worked. The armor of Wildfire was slowly regaining its former glory, but it was going to take a while. His assistant did all he could without the hammer, preparing the swords in the forge. The hammer his master was using had allegedly forged the armor upstairs, and had a hand in the creation of Talpa's. There was very little evidence to back this theory his master had developed, but nothing had been proven wrong yet. Irregardless, both of them had to focus on the job at hand.

"Master, why did you stop wearing your armor, the armor of Rebirth?"

"The platinum armor is no longer mine to use. I failed it in combat five years ago, and my injury hinders my skill. It will find a new person to wear it."

Ryo had begun snoring, much to the frustration of Mia. He was beginning to get on her nerves, and waiting for his armor to be returned wasn't helping the situation. Finally fed up, she yanked the pillow out from under his head.

"Huh… Wha…?" Ryo said sleepily.

"Wake up Ryo, you're snoring worse than Kento. It's getting on my nerves."

"Hey, that's not nice." Ryo said, sitting up. "I never snore. Besides, nobody's louder than Kento." another pause. "How long was I asleep?"

"About an hour, and I've been busy studying some of these books. I haven't seen anything about that suit upstairs though. That thing is freaky, the way it almost seems to stare at you. It's almost like someone's still in it, ready for battle."

"Yeah, I know what you mean. Do you think it might be like, an older version or something? I'm thinking it may be older than ours, but maybe it's just some cheap imitation."

"I'm more worried about the others. What could have been so important? With those three back, maybe we should go find them. Kento and the guys could be in real trouble."

The curator emerged about half an hour later with a smile on his face, a beautifully restored Wildfire suit, and a lot of sweat drenching his body. After setting the suit down, he went back into the forge, instructing Ryo to try it on. He came back out again, this time bearing a different armor. It was a different shape from Ryo's, and a different color.

"Mia, allow me to introduce to you your suit of armor. Infused with the virtue of compassion, I call it the armor of Protection. Sadly I don't have a weapon ready for it, so this is just for safety right now. Go ahead and try it on. After all, isn't it about time the Ronin Warriors have a female companion? From what I've heard you go everywhere with them, and get in trouble. Consider this your reason to be in jeopardy."

Mia stared at the wondrous suit of armor. It was solid silver, and to assure her it would work the curator gave Ryo his hammer. Ryo hit the suit as it lay on the ground with all his might, yet not even a dent formed. The silver suit was perfectly molded for her.

"I had a nice outfit of armor already being worked on for a girl about your size and age. That is, before she died and I decided not to waste the materials. That's how I was able to finish this so quickly. Take it as a gift and go to your friends. There's another suit of armor in the forge that needs work, you need a weapon, and I've got to clean that mess up from those invaders. After that maybe I'll catch up to you and watch the Ronin Warriors in action. Here's a check, now go to Scotland and find your friends."

Mia stared at the small orb that contained her new armor. She had seen Ryo and the others in combat hundreds of times, but the thought of joining them was overwhelming. In her youth she had taken classes in the martial arts, but she was never terribly good at any of them. Hopefully the armor would be able to rekindle those lost skills and truly save her.

"Where do you think they are Ryo? Can you find them?"

"I sure hope so Mia. That old guy said we'd find someone who knew the way, but I don't even know what's going on."

There was an announcement that the plane would be landing in about ten minutes. Soon enough they would begin to uncover exactly who the new enemy was, but first they needed to find their friends. Meanwhile the curator was visited in his forge by another stranger.

"Who are you and what do you want? The museum's closed, and this area is off limits. Wait, you look like someone I was recently told about. Is your name Mukala?"

"That I am sir. I had a dream that a new armor was waiting here for me, and I've come to claim it. I must repay a debt to the one called Ryo, and that armor shall aid me."

The curator sighed, then nodded. He knew the armor had to be given away. It had been dreamed up years ago, and now the owner was claiming it. The suit had been finished only a few minutes ago, ad was currently cooling off in a secluded corner. Mukala eagerly reached for the dark black armor.

"Go ahead and put it on. Take the armor of Shadows and its virtue. Defiance, fits you perfectly doesn't it? Be warned, I haven't had the time to test its strength. For all I know it has already become evil, or could break with only one hit. Just be careful."

Mukala reached out for the armor, but his hand passed through into the shadowy mass. That was, after all, what it was made of.

"You cheated me!"

"Wait, and watch." the curator replied simply.

The armor of Shadows began moving, sliding into place over Mukala's body. Once it had fully formed, Mukala demanded a test. Grudgingly the curator took his hammer and swung it into the armor of Shadows. Rather than resist the blow, Mukala's entire body warped as if he were rubber. The hammer was thrown back, bouncing harmlessly.

"I didn't feel it, so this armor must work. Now to go and pay off a debt."

Mukala vanished into the shadows, using his armor's magic as if he had always known how. The curator sighed, then walked up to where the platinum armor still stood.

"I've sent them all to their deaths, haven't I? Without your assistance I can barely use the Master Hammer to make the new armors. Please forgive me for failing you my old friend. Ryunosuke, the armor of Rebirth. It was your name I was granted by my ancestors, and we were meant to work together. Let us go and save them, together."

Without a mouth, and no face to show its expression, the armor began to move. The curator didn't know if it was in a good mood or not, but irregardless he removed the chains that held it. The helmet turned its empty self to face him.

"Give me my hammer. I have work to do."

"I understand how mad you are at me. I am sorry for failing you. Do not let your emotions cloud your judgment."

The armor gripped its hammer in one hand, and shoved its former owner with the other. The curator flew back into a glass display that held an old and rusted sword. Broken glass sliced his body all over, but that wasn't the worst of it. The sword had pierced him from behind, sticking out of his left shoulder dangerously close to the man's heart. For a brief moment the shocked expression on his face seemed to evoke some pity from the armor. His right arm reached out weakly for the platinum armor, but it turned away. The curator was left where he was, bleeding and reaching out pointlessly. Finally the man's arm went limp, and he passed out as the armor left his museum.

Scotland, now that Ryo was there he began wondering if he could actually find his friends. As he walked beside Mia outside of the airport, something seemed to call out his name. Across the street they saw a man gesturing to them, standing beside a car. Since they had no other possible leads, the two friends went over to meet this stranger. If he was trouble Ryo could probably handle him.

"Been a long time Ryo. Mia, you look well. Come on, get in my car."

The man had his back turned to them, but the rough voice gave away his identity. Even in different clothing and a long trench coat without armor, Anubis definitely wasn't the help they expected.

"Not quite what you were expecting, am I? Just get in and I can explain on the way."

"Got an awful lot of explaining ahead of you Anubis." Ryo said, opening the car door for Mia.

Anubis started the car and began driving. For a few moments he pondered what they should be told, and where to begin his story.

"Six years ago my soul was summoned back to this world by a man wearing platinum armor. He asked if I wished to live again, so I said yes. Using some kind of magic and an armorer's hammer he gave me life again. Instantly I asked where my suit was, and he said it needed fixing."

"Sounds like the guy who sent us here." Ryo interrupted.

"Indeed. To repay his kindness, I gave my loyalty to that man. The first assignment he gave me was to locate and observe my former friends. For six years I've been here, and I still don't know why I'm observing a certain man. He doesn't seem like trouble, but it's hard to tell. To occupy my spare time I've begun the study of magic. I'm not the best in most aspects but a few are easier."

"What about our friends?" Mia asked.

"I fear they're walking straight into a trap. With my limited knowledge about this current enemy, they could be facing just about anything."

"What! No way!" Ryo burst out.

"Anubis, do you think the three of us can actually make any kind of a difference? The way everyone's been talking about what's going on, I just don't know."

"Neither do I Mia, but we have to try."

Mia sighed and stared out the window. How could evil hide in such a beautiful land? For nearly an hour she had a chance to ponder this before Anubis pulled into a driveway and turned off the car. Leading them up to an old stone house, Anubis opened the door to find Sekhmet waiting, but not with his armor on.

"Since we're old friends, I want to extend a fair warning. Anubis, don't mess with our new boss. Call your ronin friends off before they get slain. You don't have any idea where the line between good and evil is."

"I know that the armor you three seek brought me back to life. What does your master want from it anyway, considering it's on our side?"

"I cannot say more, but if your desire is to fight then we can do just that."

"Done deal Sekhmet. Armor of Wildfire!"

Overzealous as always Ryo. Meet my new armor, armor of Vengeance!"

Mia hesitated for a moment. Would she just get in the way of her friends, or would she actually be of use? No time like the present to find out, especially in a three on one situation.

"Armor of Protection."

Sekhmet hesitated. Mia was an attractive girl, which made him feel a small amount of guilt. He dreaded facing her when she was unarmed.

"When did you get a suit of armor Mia? I won't fight a girl, but you two I'll gladly combat." he said, indicating Ryo and Anubis.

Mia was tired of being overlooked. Now that she could actually help, she wasn't about to let Sekhmet ignore her. After all, she always wanted to fight by Ryo's side. In her frustration Mia rushed Sekhmet. His blade slashed through the air, but dealt no damage to the fine silver suit around Mia. She took advantage of his confusion, throwing a hard right hand that cracked into Sekhmet's stomach.

Venom countered with several slices at Mia's head and neck, but she threw up her arms to block each attack. The poisonous blades hissed every time they made contact with her suit, but no damage was showing. Mia swatted away another swing from Sekhmet and kicked hard into his face. Sekhmet recovered quickly, making a double overhead chop in an effort to strike her down. Mia grabbed the two blades and threw herself back, sending Sekhmet flying out the house's door.

"Guess you're not that weak after all. I strongly advise that you stay clear of my master, even if you can defeat me. He's got a rather nasty temper and a lot of power to back it up. Remember, fair warning has been given."

Sekhmet uttered an incantation and vanished. Anubis shrugged, congratulated Mia, and busied himself in finding what he needed. Among his tools was a small red orb he fastened to his belt buckle, having dismissed his armor. Another item was a large claw from some animal Ryo had never seen, which he donned instantly. A ring with five different colored jewels; red, green, light blue, orange, and a darker blue. Into his hair he fastened a golden feather, mostly hidden from view by his long hair. Finally he secured a leather pouch to his belt and turned his attention back to the others.

"Regrettably I didn't plan on both of you having armor. That means my magical implements are somewhat depleted, but we can possibly manage. Follow me."

Anubis led the way as he ran swiftly north. Mia and Ryo followed, making better time than any vehicle would. Soon they would be facing their toughest battle yet. Meanwhile Sekhmet bowed respectfully to his master. Hideo Onishi, a feared demon able to change form at will. For the moment he held the shape of a human, implying a calmer mood.

"So, they did not listen to your warning. I had figured as much, but it was worth a try."

Hideo's hair changed from a solid black color of about mid-length, becoming a mixture that resembled a rainbow. His current body was a thick, muscular, tall frame. Turning to his three warriors, Hideo's face had a smile on it.

"I do not want any trouble with the magnified forces of the ronins. Tell me my warriors, what can we do to avoid their interference? The three of you know them far better than I do."

"Master, they won't give up easily. The ronins are persistent, yet we have four of them almost at our doorway. I say we deal with them now while we have equal numbers."

"Don't be a fool Cale. We can delay them, send them after me and my illusions. Perhaps my greater skills can lead them astray long enough for our goals to be met." Dais answered.

Hideo turned to Sekhmet. "What do you have to say, or have you no opinion on the matter?"

"Master, I think you are overlooking something. We are the ones who are being distracted. While we fight the ronins our true rivals continue to gain power and generate stronger foes for us. Leave the ronins be and target the armor of Rebirth. With it and that hammer gone or in our grasp, we can easily achieve our goal. Then we may never need to face them."

"Hmm, an interesting plan. Perhaps this only comes from you because of the girl. Tell you what, we'll merge your plan and mine. I'll combat those closer ronins if they come, but let's try all diplomatic efforts possible. Should they fail, I'll lock up the first arrivals until the others arrive. Maybe they'll be more sensible, and if not, I'll kill them. Don't worry Sekhmet, the girl and Anubis shall be spared, as will Ryo and that new Shadow armor."

Hideo smiled even more now. He didn't want to dominate earth, only the demon world interested him. The armor of Rebirth was tainted by evil, and he planned to drain that evil out of it for his own greater strength. The ronins had actually been quite helpful to him in wiping out Talpa and Sarenbo, thus his reluctance to eliminate them.

Humans were an unruly lot, difficult to control yet usually easy to slaughter. Demons were more obvious and an actual challenge. They would become fiercely loyal or instantly challenge him. Besides, Hideo saw the land of humans as more of a vacation spot and the demon realm as his future domain. Living among humans had its benefits too. They provided entertainment and, on occasion, a powerful evil to kill and drain the power of. Plus he was probably the only demon among their world.

"Now, tell me more about the ronins. All of them."

"Kento, I'm not sure this is the place for Yuli and White Blaze. Let's take them back to the hotel and come back later." Cye said.

"Don't worry guys, I'll keep him right behind me. Nobody's gonna even come close to him." Kento replied.

"I don't know about this. We only know that this place is evil."

Rowen was right, but it certainly didn't seem evil. They stood at the top of a cliff leading down into a beautiful valley. Flowers bloomed everywhere in all different colors, trees of every kind grew, even though this wasn't their climate. It was odd, or perhaps misleading.

Jumping down into the valley, Sage noticed they weren't alone. Gardeners were tending the plants, ignoring these intruders. Something was wrong though, as they weren't normal people.

"Guys, those are demons. Why are demons doing the gardening?"

Cye suggested that they ignore the harmless gardeners and continue on. Following his lead, they moved on.

Up ahead was a thatched hut big enough to be a single large room in a typical house. Hideo waited in the doorway, gesturing them inside. "Don't worry, I'm not your rival. There's no need to fight just yet. Relax and we can talk." he called.

"I'm not falling for that trick. No way, no how."

"You would be Kento the mistrustful. Well, I honestly don't blame you. If it makes you feel safer, go ahead and suit up. I'll be inside if you want to act reasonable."

Cye shrugged and followed Hideo. He didn't want to enter a battle foolishly, but the others didn't understand that. Most likely the demon was going to give one of those trademark speeches on how he was going to rule the world, but he still preferred an attempt at peace.

"Cye Mouri, it is good to know that diplomacy still exists. No doubt you're wondering what I'm doing, or at least why I'm not acting hostile."

"Well, that would be nice. So, what is your um… purpose?"

Hideo smiled again, enjoying his role as a good guy. "I only want the evil harboring itself in a platinum suit of armor. Your world is like a resort to me, a place to relax away from the demon realm. In fact I'm very partial to the beauty of nature. Since humans are an unruly lot in general I know they can't be dominated. Why would I ruin what I have? Look around."

The carefully tended plants so neatly arrayed gave Cye a clear look into Hideo's words. He had a little paradise here. That was a good reason to believe him, that he didn't want to ruin the tranquil scene.

"Is it possible you could use your armor to water these? I've been a little preoccupied wondering how to help your world."

"I can try. One quick question though, aside from your name. Why do you like us?" Cye replied.

"The name's Hideo Onishi, and you ronins have eliminated two of my greatest rivals. Why wouldn't I want to return the favor?"

The sound of combat came from outside, shattering the calm atmosphere. Hideo's hair turned to a bright red in frustration as he muttered several curses and ran outside. Kento struck one of the gardeners in plain sight before Hideo and Cye.

"Kento, stop it! There's no need to fight." Cye shouted.

"Really? Explain why this guy tried to grab Yuli."

The demon servant bowed to Kento, begging for forgiveness. Hideo listened to his gardener's tale, then stared at his orange-armored guest. As the servant said, it was a misunderstanding. He had never seen a child before and got a little too curious. Kento grudgingly apologized, still not trusting the demons. It was at about this time that chaos began, as Yuli suddenly screamed in pain. A demon arrow had pierced his body through the midsection, shot from behind them.

Hideo tried to reach the dying boy's side, but Kento stood in his way. Shoving him aside, Hideo pulled out the arrow and began chanting a spell to save Yuli's life.

"Get away from him you monster. Hey! I said leave him. Aaahh!"

Kento had just been struck by a similar arrow, but his armor took most of the blow. Someone was sniping them from the cliff, but what concerned Hideo was Yuli's wound. If the boy died he'd probably have to fight the ronins.

"Am I… am I gonna die mister?" Yuli asked.

"Not if I can help it kid. Hold still so I can treat you. Sekhmet, Cale, Dais, go get that archer before any more suffer."

"As you command master Hideo."

Throwing off their gardener disguises, Hideo's three warriors jumped up or ran up (Cale wanted to show off) the cliff face and vanished from sight. Cye watched Hideo's slowly failing efforts, and suddenly an idea struck him.

"Rowen, come here quick. Your virtue may be able to save Yuli."

"Hey, yeah! I have the virtue of Life, so if that power can be channeled it might work."

Kento didn't want to let Hideo near Rowen and Yuli. Sage barely managed to restrain him, but Kento swore the demon couldn't be trusted. Hideo ignored him and used the powers of life.

"Armor of Strata, I beseech you. Restore to this boy the spark of life. Now, virtue of Life, give him a second chance."

Yuli's wound closed, but he passed out. He was breathing, but weakly. Kento suddenly felt a powerful rage grip him. No longer in control of what he was doing, he punched Hideo hard enough to send the demon stumbling back into several potted plants. One of the plants fell, its container breaking on the ground. Kento readied his weapon while Hideo stared at the plant and tried to protect it.

"Upset as you are, there was no reason for that. This flower is very delicate, so please be careful. It has done nothing to deserve your abuse."

"I don't care!"

Kento swung his weapon, missing Hideo as he shielded most of the flower. Golden-yellow petals floated to the ground, ripped from the now damaged flower. Hideo snapped, but not entirely.

"Damn you boy. You want a fight that bad, you can have one. Just don't harm my garden any further."

Several of the demon servants rushed to their master's side and took the delicate flower away. Meanwhile Kento tried to use his Iron Rock Crusher, but nothing happened.

"I don't think so. This valley won't allow any of your special attacks, only pure magic and normal combat."

Drawing a sword with his left hand, Hideo no longer had a smile on his face. There was no way Kento would quit, but perhaps he could yet be spared. Allowing his rival to attack first, Hideo only teased Kento by blocking at the last second. Sage watched as Hideo effortlessly turned the tide of battle, striking harsh blows to the orange armor of Hardrock. Against his better judgment Sage ran to help his friend. Rowen scanned the cliff for any sign of their sniper foe, then joined Sage at Kento's side. Cye sighed and wished it hadn't come to this. Rather than fight Hideo he remained at Yuli's side. It was only now he noticed that White Blaze was missing.

"Ryo, I wish you were here." Cye muttered.

Ryo was coming fast, almost to Hideo's valley when he saw White Blaze. Anubis knelt down in front of the tiger, listening to its roars as if he understood it.

"We must follow him now. He says that Yuli is wounded from an arrow, and combat has already commenced. Lead the way White Blaze."

Mia could barely contain her fear. Who or what would hurt an innocent boy like that? It just didn't make any sense. Together the three of them ran down into the valley, heading straight for Yuli and Cye. Hideo was managing well enough, so he wasn't their first priority.

"Ryo, Mia… Anubis? Hideo is not our enemy. I talked to him, he's a reasonable demon. He even healed Yuli after an archer started firing at us. Please try and convince Kento to stop this madness."

"Okay, I'll try and call a truce. No guarantees it'll work though."

Hideo held back all three weapons at once, then kicked Kento and Sage back hard. Moving faster than anyone could have anticipated, he moved behind Rowen and placed his sword's blade dangerously close to Rowen's neck. Everyone stopped moving, even Kento.

"Much better. Now, let's try diplomacy again. I'd rather ally myself with you ronins, so listen carefully. Ryo, the armor you saw at the museum is tainted by an evil spirit. It no longer recognizes right from wrong, and I plan to take that evil from it. Now relax and we can discuss how to remove such a threat."

Hideo released Rowen and sheathed his blade. The ronins merely held theirs in non-threatening manners. Ryo and Anubis were the first to speak up.

"How do you propose we restrain the armor long enough for you to remove the evil?" Anubis asked.

"Yeah, what is this? The armor seemed good, and its wearer was too." Ryo said.

"He's not in it, which is why we can attack it with all our power combined. Once it has fallen in battle I'll remove the evil and a smith can fix it." Hideo replied.

"Hideo, what makes you so special? Why are you, well, Good?"

"Mia, I'm a demon prince. My power is great, and at will I can change my form. Good isn't quite the right description for me. Moreover, I'm evil toward other evil. None of you can take my place as a demon prince, so I don't view any of you as threats. I think better in your land when I'm calm, thus all the plants."

Hideo's attention turned from the ronins to the top of the cliff. When the others followed his gaze they saw the platinum armor of Rebirth, holding an arrow back and aiming at them. Rowen acted just in time, shooting his own arrow to intercept Rebirth's. Two more shots came from Rowen that broke the bow and hit Rebirth.

"You shouldn't have done that." its faceless helmet replied.

"What did you do to my warrior champions?" Hideo asked.

"They live, but you won't."

Ryunosuke, the platinum armor of Rebirth, began walking slowly toward the assembled warriors. Anubis and Hideo had a quick private discussion while Rowen started firing arrows as fast as he could. On occasion he hit it hard enough to slow the unflinching armor, but no obvious damage resulted. Something had to stop it, especially as it gripped the hammer tight, ready to fight.

"We need our powerful attacks. Come on Hideo, give us the advantage." Kento shouted.

"We have the advantage already. It has an incredibly powerful skill that's being blocked called the Shatterstrike. It could permanently destroy your outfits, or even kill you. Trust me on that. I've felt the power of his hammer before."

Anubis reached into the leather pouch on his belt and pulled out a tiny crystal. Stretching out his hand, he allowed the sun's rays to break apart into a rainbow and hit his ring. Instantly it began to glow, each gem giving off its own color. Pointing the ring at Ryunosuke, Anubis hoped for the best.

"Try and shrug this off Rebirth. Roninblast!"

The ring's power was unleashed, throwing at the platinum armor each attack of his friends. Flare Up Now, Thunderbolt Cut, Super Wave Smasher, Iron Rock Crusher, and Arrow Shockwave all struck their mark. A cloud of dust rose around the armor, but when it settled, there were only a few scorch marks and one minor crack around the right shoulder.

"Can you do any better Hideo?" Anubis asked.

"No, not really, but I can try. Nether World Blaze!"

Dark fire built up around Hideo. The flames were so thick that all sight of the demon was lost. Inside it all Hideo began walking to intercept Rebirth. Five years ago he defeated the man inside the armor with this exact move, but now he fought something that wouldn't feel pain and certainly wouldn't give up. Fortunately his magic worked as a weapon upon contact and also as a defense from Rebirth's might. The only shame was he couldn't cast the spell on any of the others, as it only worked on evil beings.

"Why do you seek my destruction?" the armor asked him.

"Why did you want me dead five years ago? Back then I allowed your owner to live because he could control you. Now I can't let you kill me because thousands of other lives may be at stake."

With those words Hideo began throwing punches at the armor. Every blow he gave was returned in kind, but neither one of the combatants was doing any damage. It had to be resolved with steel.

"What's happening? I can't see either of them now." Mia said.

It was just as well she couldn't see, as Hideo was losing. His blade struck again and again but barely left scratches on the mighty platinum armor. In response it was hammering, quite literally, upon his unprotected chest and back. Granted they couldn't kill him thanks to the magic, but even demons could suffer the effects of broken bones. What he worried about was the blaze extinguishing and leaving him without any defense.

"Now you see him Mia, and now he loses."

With one final hammer strike Hideo was sent flying back into the ronins, just as Anubis had said. The day was not yet over for him, but his best chance for victory just failed.

"This isn't going well at all. We can't seem to even slow it down or do any real damage. He's too strong." Hideo cursed.

"Okay, everyone attack it at once. He can't orient on us all."

Ryo's orders were sensible, even if it meant risking their safety. Still they had to try, even if the ronins couldn't do better.

When they all swarmed the armor, Kento attacked with more fervor than the others. He was still enraged at poor Yuli being harmed, and met it head-on. Once the ronins grouped around it, the platinum armor began striking wildly. Flinging most of the others back, only Kento and Mia managed to hold their ground.

"You're gonna pay for hurting Yuli!"

Kento rammed his weapon into the armor's empty helmet, finally making it recoil in either pain or fear. Mia tried to press the advantage by closing both her fists together and pounding on the back of its left knee joint. Seeing it stumble, Mia threw herself into the knee while Kento tackled it high in the chest. As the armor fell to the ground it nearly dropped its hammer.

Hideo was instantly by their side and chanting a spell to draw out the evil inside the armor of Rebirth. Just as he was about to succeed it broke free from Kento and Mia, orienting heavily on Kento as it threw back Mia and Hideo. Kento was struck again and again by the hammer, his suit ringing with each blow as if it were a gong. By the time they reached his side Kento drew his last breath.

"Mia… take… my strength… my weapon."

Blood trickled from the corner of Kento's mouth. His chest was battered and the entire front of Hardrock turned to dust. Mia knew he was dead, but now wasn't the time to cry. She had to fulfill his last wish. She had to defeat Rebirth.

The enemy now moved toward the other ronins. His focus was apparently Ryo, and it wasn't about to go easy on him. Ryo tried frantically to block its assault, but it was too skilled. Mia managed to run in and block its attack barely before Ryo's skull could be bashed in. The battle almost paused, but then Rebirth spun and struck Rowen in the side of his helmet. Nobody had time to check if he was still alive, but the general consensus was he had fallen as well.

"Back off ronin fools."

The armor shoved away Cye and Anubis, trying to aim for Sage and Hideo. Ryo slashed fiercely at its back, making the first impressive scratch upon their rival. His newly reforged blades were the only weapon so far that was a match for Ryunosuke. Sage brought his own massive blade down into the armor's right shoulder where Anubis had struck it earlier. The pauldron cracked slightly but Sage paid dearly for his efforts.

Rebirth kicked him away violently, leaving the blade in its shoulder. Picking up Rowen's bow, the armor fired at Sage. As he began to stand the arrow struck its mark, penetrating his eye and killing him.

"You're next pacifist."

Cye ducked a swing from the armor's hammer as it dropped the bow. He had lost two friends already, and Cye wasn't about to let himself die. He thrust his trident up into the armor's breastplate from where he ducked. Using his trident as a lever Cye used all his strength to lift up the armor over his head.

"This one's for Rowen!"

Cye jumped up into the air as high as he could, then moved himself so the armor was pointed down. Putting all of his weight into the dive, he drove the armor hard into the ground. Completely exhausted, Cye stepped back to see the results of his work. The armor stood up, evidently angry but with no real damage.

"No way! How did it just shrug off my attack?"

Sage's sword had been knocked out and the platinum armor was tired of using only one weapon. Picking up the blade, it advanced on Cye. Ryo and the others attacked from behind but the armor was too dangerous to deal with. It had two excellent implements of death, and plenty of skill to back it up. They couldn't distract it from Cye, who happened to be too tired to even lift his trident into a defensive position.

"This is the end of you Torrent."

Rebirth raised its blade, about to strike. Luck was with Cye though, as Mukala appeared in his armor of Shadows. Throwing his huge weapon, the sword was knocked out of Rebirth's hand.

"I come to repay a debt. I owe you nothing now."

Mukala caught his weapon as it returned, then charged the armor. Rebirth slammed its hammer into him but to no avail. Mukala's body acted like a rubber band, bouncing the hammer back into the armor itself.

"Shame you can't fight for much longer. The sun weakens your suit, and soon it will remove itself from your body." Rebirth said.

"I'm still a warrior, and you're my enemy."

Mukala proved his point by attacking hard, forcing the platinum armor to back away from Cye. Even though it blocked every swing he made with its hammer, it was backing straight into Hideo. The others were tiring, but the new warrior and demon wouldn't. Breaking into a run the armor moved around the ronins and put its back to the cliff.

"We can't fight a tireless suit of armor that feels no pain. How do we beat it?" Ryo asked Hideo.

"To be honest, I don't know. Only its former wearer knows any sort of weakness. I only know how to remove the evil, not make that possible."

"What, you mean me? Here, I'll show you its weakness."

The museum curator Ryunosuke was bandaged up a lot from the glass, and his left shoulder had a hole in it, but otherwise he looked ready enough to fight. Jumping down from the cliff he wielded the sword that had pierced his shoulder. The armor of Rebirth stared at him with its empty helmet, backing away slowly as if it had seen a ghost.

"I thought you were dead. No matter, I'll kill you for sure this time."

"Not likely. Hideo, get ready."

Ryunosuke thrust his blade hard into the armor's chest, driving it straight through.

"Payback. Now Hideo, do it."

Hideo gripped the armor and began his chanting again. All the while Rebirth didn't move, paralyzed with shock. Suddenly Hideo's chants ended, and he began searching for his missing friends. Ryunosuke pulled out his sword from the armor, and stared at his suit.

"You have something to say, don't you."

"Yes master. It wasn't your fault we lost, it was me. I'm the weak one, and we have a lot to fix. I'm sorry for my evil acts ,and to undo them, I'll need to be repaired."

"First, Armor of Rebirth!"

The suit of platinum armor was an impressive sight to behold when someone was actually wearing it. Ryunosuke donned the armor and moved to Rowen's side. Smiling, he said Rowen only had a concussion and a cut on his scalp. Casting only a slight healing spell, Ryunosuke moved on to Kento.

"Ouch. Why did you have to hammer his entire chest cavity in?" the curator asked his armor.

"Kento just wouldn't quit. I had to hit him hard, that's all. Sorry about the mess."

Half an hour later Rowen was conscious, Kento was breathing normally, and Sage was having his eye fixed. Rowen barely managed to sit up, and was shocked to see the enemy armor caring for Sage.

"How's he doing?" Rowen asked, trying to stand.

"Easy Rowen, you need to rest. I mean, you were out for almost an hour. Kento's breathing but unconscious, and Sage is having a slight vision problem." Mia said.

A cry of victory came from Sage, as he evidently regained sight. It was also at this time that Hideo returned with Cale, Dais, and Sekhmet. Ryo took the opportunity to ask Ryunosuke about his injuries.

"The armor I now wear threw me into a glass display case holding this sword here. It just left me there, but my assistant saved my life. Jinso Sonoda is a good healer, and once he patched me up I came after my armor. I'm still hurting, but not nearly as much now that the platinum armor of Rebirth is regenerating me."

Yuli suddenly sat up beside White Blaze, yawning. Secretly Hideo was glad the boy didn't have to see all the violence that went on around him. Hideo also thanked the higher powers that his tranquil little valley was mostly intact.

"you can all stay here as long as you want. Speaking of travel though, I'm afraid I'll be leaving briefly for my own realm. Who knows what trouble has been brewing in there without me. Besides, I have to keep them all away from my vacation grounds. If you need me, or if I need you, just call out my name."

"Yeah, go back to your realm with the new strength that was taken from my armor. That's got to be a huge power boost for you, and another step in your goal of ruling the demon realm." Ryunosuke said.

"True, but I'm still miles away from claiming the throne. So long friends, may we meet again on good terms and not as rivals."

Ryo quickly thanked Hideo and Ryunosuke. The demon was only interested in protecting his vacation spot, but that made him a good guy. As for the armor of Rebirth, now that is was restored to glory, he appreciated such power being on their side. After facing such a rival in battle, he really preferred its gentler attitude. Rebirth would always be on guard against evil, which made his life a lot easier. The ronins may even be able to retire, but that was probably wishful thinking. Evil was always lurking just around the corner and they always ended up fighting it.

"Hey Mia, we never got to finish our date. Let's finish with dinner, my treat." Ryo said with a smile, taking Mia's hand.


End file.
